One Right Thing by Matthew Iden

One Right Thing by Matthew Iden is the third in the series featuring Marty Singer, retired DC homicide detective and cancer survivor.  Marty was a good detective but like any over committed homicide cop, there were cases that Marty wishes he could do over… either he didn’t do enough to solve the case or he stood by and watched an innocent man be convicted.  Now with his cancer to remind him of his mortality, these perceived indiscretions haunt him and redemption becomes a priority.

Marty is driving in rural Virginia near Cain’s Crossing when he sees a billboard picturing J.D. Hope with the caption, ‘J.D. Hope was murdered on May 6^th.  Do you know why?’ and a phone number.  Singer had arrested J.D. for murder more than twenty years earlier and testified against him at his trial.  J.D. was found guilty, sentenced to prison and served his time.  During the trial Singer was not 100% convinced that J.D. was guilty but as a detective you follow the evidence.  In this case, Singer later learned that his partner planted the incriminating evidence declaring that J.D. was guilty of something.

 

Marty calls the number on the billboard and learns from J.D.’s mother and sister that Cain’s Crossing is J.D.’s hometown and he had returned after prison only to be murdered.  J.D.’s kin think local authorities aren’t doing enough to solve the murder so they construct the billboard to solicit help.  Singer grasps at the chance for redemption but is not greeted warmly for his intervention.  The local cops tell him to butt out, the local hooligans attempt to intimidate him, and even J.D.’s mother appears not to trust him.  Marty learns J.D. had lived (and died) in a rundown motel on the edge of town.  Sorting through his personal effects, Marty discovers J.D. had been diagnosed with ALS and was working with the DEA to expose a major methamphetamine ring… searching for his own redemption… looking to do one right thing.  Now Marty has a new mission: find and destroy the drug traffickers, solve J.D’s murder, and vindicate his memory.  But that’s a tall order for a retired cop who is physically weakened by cancer therapy… and has no authority and no backup.

With One Right Thing, Matthew Iden has earned a place in my power rotation.  His writing style is very efficient… descriptions are vivid without being obsessive and plot lines are complex without unnecessary diversions.  His protagonist, Marty Singer is the right mix of machismo, empathy, and vulnerability to make him appealing and very likable.  I can’t wait to see how he’s doing in his next escapade.